Bozell said Obama "ran as a Reaganite" and "a fiscal conservative" -- less than two weeks after claiming Obama was espousing "socialism"

On America's Newsroom, Media Research Center president L. Brent Bozell III claimed that President-elect Barack Obama "ran as a Reaganite" and "won over ... the public as a fiscal conservative." But less than two weeks earlier, Bozell accused Obama of espousing "socialism" throughout the "entirety of the campaign."

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During the November 7 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, Media Research Center president L. Brent Bozell III claimed that President-elect Barack Obama "ran as a Reaganite" and "won over ... the public as a fiscal conservative." But less than two weeks earlier, Bozell accused Obama of espousing "socialism" and advocating "redistribution of wealth" throughout the "entirety of the campaign."

During America's Newsroom, Bozell told co-anchor Bill Hemmer, "the fascinating thing, Bill, is that Barack Obama ran as a Reaganite and won over the fiscal -- the public as a fiscal conservative." Bozell went on to say: "That means that Barack Obama does not have the mandate to enact the left-wing agenda he wants to enact. He didn't run on it, he ran from it."

However, during the October 27 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Bozell asserted that Obama wasn't "questioned seriously by anyone except for ... the Fox News network," and then added: "But when you go through the entirety of the campaign saying the kind of things that you're saying in the debates, where on, for every question, you've got a redistribution of wealth answer, where you've got socialism, where you've got the government controlling every aspect of life. You don't expect a reporter to ask you, 'Is this socialism?' Because the media don't ask that question."

From the October 27 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BOZELL: This is the arrogance, I think, of the Obama campaign, but it's a well-placed arrogance in the sense that they've gone through this entire campaign without being questioned seriously by anyone except for this news network, the Fox News network, which is why they studiously avoid the Fox News network. But when you go through the entirety of the campaign saying the kind of things that you're saying in the debates, where on, for every question, you've got a redistribution of wealth answer, where you've got socialism, where you've got the government controlling every aspect of life. You don't expect a reporter to ask you, "Is this socialism?" Because the media don't ask that question. Well, some uppity reporter did -- and look what happened, they cancelled her. And, by the way, she won't be going to the ball, either.

From the November 7 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:

BILL HEMMER (co-anchor): Top conservatives met in Virginia yesterday, and they met with Brent Bozell. He hosted that meeting. He's president of the Conservative Victory Committee, and Brent Bozell is with me now. Good morning to you, sir.

BOZELL: Good morning, Bill, how are you doing?

HEMMER: I'm doing fine. Who was at the meeting?

BOZELL: Well, we're not divulging all the names. I can give you some of them. People like Grover Norquist, who runs the Americans for Tax Reform, he's the leader on that front; Leonard Leo, who is the top conservative expert on judicial matters; Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, probably the most powerful social-conservative organization in America. There are many of those people representing quite a lot of armies. They came together --

HEMMER: Who have - who have a lot influence, came together, and --

BOZELL: The - the purpose was to look at the election results and take stock at where we are and where we're going, and there's some fascinating stuff out there that's really not being reported. The conservatives didn't play a role in this campaign. This was a moderate Republican against a liberal -- a left-wing Democrat, and the left-wing Democrat beat the moderate Republican. The moderate Republican wing of the party is demolished. In the House and the Congress -- in the Congress, in the Senate, and now as a presidential candidate, it's finished. So, now what happens with conservative -- conservatives have to reassert their position, and we're gonna take over this country the way we did it with Ronald Reagan.

HEMMER: You -- you have --

BOZELL: There's a lot of work that needs to be done. But here's the key thing, Bill, that really isn't being reported: Anyone who looks at the exit polls this year will find two fascinating results. Number one, this country remains every bit as center-right as it's been for a generation. And number two --

BOZELL: No, it hasn't. Look at the exit polling. The number one issue was the economy, nothing came close. The American people are fiscally conservative, and the fascinating thing, Bill, is that Barack Obama ran as a Reaganite and won over the fiscal -- the public as a fiscal conservative. That's what the polling data shows.

HEMMER: You said there were two things. What was number two?

BOZELL: Well, number one is that the public is conservative; number two, Barack Obama won as a conservative. That means that Barack Obama does not have the mandate to enact the left-wing agenda he wants to enact. He didn't run on it, he ran from it. So, this is not necessarily bad news for conservatives.

HEMMER: But what if --

BOZELL: Yes, the left wing controls everything now --

HEMMER: -- but what if some of these Senate races that still hang in the balance go the Democratic way? That pushes them closer and closer to 60 in the Senate.

BOZELL: Sure, there's - there's no question --

HEMMER: Would you consider that a mandate?

BOZELL: -- of the power that they now have in Washington. There's no question. The point is that the American people are still on our side. It becomes our job now to reconnect with the public.

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